The United States House of Representatives has introduced a resolution officially designating August 11, 2025, as Hip Hop Celebration Day, August 2025 as Hip Hop Recognition Month, and November 2025 as Hip Hop History Month. The measure—H. Res. 626—was brought forward on August 1, 2025, by Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA), alongside co-sponsors Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) and Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO). It was referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce.
The resolution commemorates the continuation of hip hop’s semicentennial, tracing its origins to August 11, 1973, when Jamaican-born DJ Kool Herc introduced his pioneering “break-beat” DJing style at a “Back to School Jam” organized by his sister, Cindy Campbell, in the Bronx, New York. The night also featured live toasting and MCing by Coke La Rock and high-energy dancing from B-boys and B-girls—marking the birth of hip hop as a cultural movement.
Lawmakers noted that since its humble Bronx beginnings, hip hop has evolved into a global phenomenon, encompassing music, dance, visual art, and fashion. The resolution recognizes the genre’s deep roots in African American creativity, as well as its incorporation of influences from jazz, blues, reggae, dancehall, country, gospel, and Indigenous music. It also acknowledges hip hop’s regional diversity, from West Coast G-funk to Southern trap and bass, to drill in the Midwest.
Importantly, the resolution emphasizes hip hop’s positive social impact, citing its role in youth empowerment, education, artistic innovation, and economic activity—an industry now generating billions of dollars annually.
If passed, the measure will encourage Congress, states, and municipalities to partner with local hip hop communities to host events, educational programs, and celebrations that honor the legacy of the 1973 “Back to School Jam” and the culture’s five decades of contributions to American and global society.
For more information, the full resolution text can be accessed via Congress.gov – H. Res. 626.
